N4310R
This is my female (Melinda) and my plane, N4310R. He (yes, he's a he) is a 1974 Cessna 172M, one of almost 40,000 Cessna 172s built. He and Melinda were both born in December of 1973. When I bought him he had been used as a flight trainer for many years at Oakland and was in pretty rough shape cosmetically. In the 5 years we've been together, I have replaced the interior (the plastic damn near killed me), engine (factory reman), exhaust (Powerflow Systems tuned exhaust), and added a JPI EDM-700 and an Iceman Carb Ice Detector. Everything except the Iceman has been great. I can't recommend it, the probe gets coated with something and quickly (like in 10-20 hours) becomes ineffective. You have to clean it way too often for it to be of any use. I'm going to pull it and replace it with a carb temp gauge.
The JPI has been great, but they have recently decided not to allow owners to download their own data and have stopped supplying EZSave to discourage this. Two versions are available here, but have not been tested by me. Download and use at your own risk!
Engine: Lycoming 0320-E2D, 150 HP, fixed prop
Cruise speed: 135 mph
Rate of climb (sea level, gross weight): 800 fpm
Ceiling (gross weight): 15000 feet (with Powerflow exhaust)
Fuel Burn: 6-8 gph
Useful load: 800 pounds (with full fuel only about 560 pounds)
Crosswind component: 12 knots officially, 15+ knots attainable. With the higher crosswind more landing speed is needed, at normal approach speeds the rudder hits the stop at about 12 knots. Although it's pretty, the rudder on this plane is not especially effective.
This plane is a lot of fun to fly, with great manners and well-balanced controls. If anything, it's a little too easy to fly, and keeping sharp in it is not always easy. I would like something a little faster, but it's hard to beat for short fields and carries a good load when it's just me and Mel.
I get asked by a lot of folks what my impressions are about the tuned exhaust. Overall, I like it very much, as I have seen an increase in climb rate at sea level of 200-300 fpm and my ceiling has increased to 15000+ feet, and I am now capable of 10 mph faster in cruise. However, this extra power comes at a cost, and that cost is increased vigilance of the engine. I am now capable of exceeding redline in cruise below about 4500 feet, and my CHTs can get above 450 degrees very quickly if I climb out at full throttle. I would not have known about this except for my JPI, which I consider to be the best investment I have made in a long time. Can't recommend it enough.
So what I have figured out is that I climb at full throttle to pattern altitude, and then reduce throttle to keep the CHTs below 450. This results in climb rates of 500 fpm, and I keep can keep this rate up to 8000 feet or so by gradually increasing the throttle.
My conclusions are that the tuned exhaust gives you a lot more options and significantly increases the potential power output of the engine. However, it is not a bolt-on-and-forget solution - it requires much more oversight as RPM and CHT limits can be easily exceeded. Still, overall I think the extra performance is worth the extra trouble.